Choosing the Right Cheap Stock Photo Sites to Buy Cheap Stock Photos

Like any other industry, the cheap stock photo business is a competitive environment. Many cheap stock photo sites are distributed all over the market, making it harder for you to find the right one for your creative needs. Thankfully, we are here to help you with that. Here are the main contenders in the stock photo industry to help you find the right stock photo site that suits your needs and your budget. Visit for more information here.

iStock

Considered as the original microstock website, iStock has one of the biggest ranges of cheap stock photos available in the market. It also offers other creative files such as illustrations, audio clips and videos. Generally, it is regarded as having the highest quality stock photos of all microstock websites.

Thinkstock

Thinkstock is the sister company of iStock. It offers cheaper subscription plans than its counterpart. However, the website offers photos and graphics only. They do not include videos and audio materials.

Shutterstock

Another big name in the cheap stock photo industry is Shutterstock. It is known to be the major competitor of iStock. Dominating the stock photo market, the stock agency has over 60 million stock photos, vector, videos and music in its vast library.

BigStock

BigStock is a subsidiary of Shutterstock. It has a smaller collection but still plenty to choose from. However, the stock site does not offer a subscription plan. You can purchase and download images on a Pay as You Go basis only.

Fotolia

Recently acquired by Adobe Stock, Fotolia is another stock photo agency with a big collection of stock photos cheap. It has over 15 million cheap photos available in its library.

Dreamstime

Probably the lesser known cheap stock photo site among the list, Dreamstime offers a collection of free photos as well as paid content. It has over 37 million stock images and a growing collection that covers a wide range of themes and subjects.

There are a number of smaller cheap stock photo sites in the market. Many of which cater to a particular niche or theme. You can use search engines to point you to the right direction of these websites, but never use them to scour for free photos. Price is not essentially a determining factor in choosing among these websites because one is not drastically cheaper than the others.

The important thing you need to consider is the range of cheap stock images they offer and which has the best selection that fits your purposes. You can browse their collections for free and compare them. See how they stack up against each other. Then, choose the website that offers the largest and most diverse selection in your niche or theme, regardless if it is cheaper or pricier that its competitors.